Bad Cheerleader

A dyslexic bookworm joins her school’s cheerleading squad to investigate her sister’s strange behavior in this insightful and sharp middle grade novel about the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

Seventh grader Bag loves to read. It doesn’t come easy to her, thanks to her dyslexia, but she’s determined, and she spends every afternoon after school at the library. It’s a ritual she refuses to miss.

Then a new career opportunity for her mother means Bag will no longer have a ride to her cherished library. Instead, Bag will have to wait for a ride at school. With her sister, Minerva. At cheerleading practice.

Bag is uncoordinated and completely uninterested in school spirit. But she is curious about what her sister has been hiding. Minerva has been acting stranger than usual, and Bag has been noticing. So while cheerleading practice may be the last place Bag wants to be, she’s going to use her time wisely and get to the bottom of Minerva’s secrets.

Alex Thayer is a former film and television actress and elementary school teacher. She lives in New England with her two sons. She’s the author of Happy & Sad & Everything True and Bad Cheerleader.